Carpet seam lock

ABSTRACT

A carpet seam clamping device for maintaining pre-positioned carpet sections abutted at a seam subsequent to removal of a carpet stretcher which prevents overlapping. The device employs a pair of planar surfaces which translate toward each other and lock in position once totally translated. The length of translation is equal to or less than the length of pins which engage into the carpet body thereby preventing overstretch.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The device herein described relates to the installation of carpet and toa phase in the installation process where it is necessary to maintain astretched piece of carpet taut and static to adjoining carpet sections,in order to facilitate the drying of the carpet glue while concurrentlymaintaining sectional alignment between adjoining sections. Morespecifically, the device provides a means to secure newly laid carpet ina stretched position by engaging it to adjoined stretch sections andallowing patterns and seams to maintain a match during the adhesivedrying process.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Carpet has become a very popular way to cover indoor floors of anyscale, and new styles, colors and patterns are being introduced all thetime. Likewise, age-old carpet laying techniques are being refined andnew tools introduced.

Most residential carpeting is installed by attaching the end of a rollof carpet to the base of a wall and stretching it with one of severalcarpet stretching devices to the other side of the room where it isattached to the base of the opposing wall. The carpet is stretched inthis fashion to ensure that it lays flat and will not be prone towrinkling later on.

When carpeting larger scale commercial floors, conventionally adifferent installation technique is used. When large distances are to becarpeted, the glue-down installation method is preferred over thestretch method used in smaller rooms of homes. In the glue-down method,carpet is adhesively attached directly to an underlying substrate suchas plywood sub-flooring or concrete foundation. The process involvescovering the flooring substrate in its entirety with adhesive androlling the carpet onto the floor so the backing can bond with thesubstrate over a defined period of time wherein the carpet may be movedor positioned to its final mounted position on the substrate.

When installing carpet in this fashion which has a design or patternformed in the weave, special installation concerns arise. Carpet, likeany textile, falls victim to inherent distortions of pattern and shapewhich can be caused during manufacturing, shipping, or poor storage.Common defects that occur in patterned carpet include trueness of edge,bowing and skewing of the visual pattern. Bowing is the result of thepattern lagging or gaining in the middle of the roll width. Skewingoccurs when the pattern doesn't line up perpendicular to the edge of thecarpet roll. Trueness of an edge can be easily recognized if the edge ofthe carpet forms an ‘S’ shape. In any instance, it is highly impracticalto cut out the distortions and much more effective and efficient tostretch the carpet section such that its pattern matches appropriatelywith adjacent carpet sections with the same pattern.

When stretching a section of carpet to match patterns or correct otherdistortions, once a first section is in its final position matched toadjacent sections, it must be held in that position until the adhesiveor other means for permanent mounting fixes the relative positions ofthe different carpet sections. To this end, in commercial installationson concrete surfaces, it is common to temporarily nail the terminatingedges of freshly laid adjacent carpet sections to the underlying floorwhile the adhesive dries. This type of temporary positioning causes aplethora of problems for both the installer and the future occupant.Whether the underlying floor is plywood, concrete or even padding,temporarily nailing the stretched carpet section is intrusive, noisy anddestructive. When it is necessary to temporarily nail carpet to theunderlying floor, the process often deforms or even chips thesub-flooring, causing mounds or divots once the carpet is laid whichwill eventually damage the carpet and cause tripping from the unevensurface. Concrete is especially prone to this chipping and the processitself causes much unneeded noise at an already loud commercialconstruction site.

While a number of devices exist which may be employed to stretch andpull large pieces of carpet toward each other at a seam, none is welladapted to simply hold already stretched carpet sections in theirrelative positions. Conventional carpet stretching devices generallyconsist of two blocks with a plurality of pins extending downward toengage the carpet. These opposing planar blocks providing the pin mountsare engaged to a mechanical levering apparatus providing sufficienttorque to the two opposing blocks to pull them a large distance withlevers to thereby align the terminating edges of adjacent carpetsections at large carpet seams. While it may be tempting to use thesecarpet pullers to lock a seam in place while glue dries, severalproblems inevitably occur if this is done. First, carpet pullers andstretchers are large, cumbersome and have a levering system providingmechanical advantage that is much too powerful to simply hold the carpetat the seam. Such carpet pullers are gear driven or employ cams toachieve the mechanical advantage necessary to pull sometimes hundreds ofpounds of individual carpet sections toward another, each having a verylarge frictional engagement with the underlying floor or substrate andany adhesive that may be applied. Due to the nature of their design,such carpet pullers inevitably over pull adjacent sections of carpetcausing them to overlap onto each other at the seam. This overlap, onceaccomplished, is a major impediment to a timely completion of the jobsince both sections of carpet must then be repositioned and then drawntoward each other in an engagement registering their patterns onceagain. This constant recurring problem, especially where conventionalpullers and stretchers are in inexperienced hands, occurs because suchstretching devices are designed to pull hundreds or thousands of poundsof carpet sections frictionally or adhesively engaging an underlyingfloor, but not to engage carpet sections already aligned and to simplyhold them in registered engagement.

Thus, there is an unmet need for a carpet section positioning devicethat is adapted to engage with adjacent aligned carpet sections havingregistered carpet patterns, and to provide a means to hold the carpetsections in registered engagement while the adhesive affixing theirrelative positions dries during a glue-down application. Such a deviceshould be self-limiting as to a distance of travel of both of the twoengaged carpet sections abutted on a seam. Such a device should preventany damage to the sub-flooring or any harm of the proximal surfaces.Furthermore, such a device should not pull or stretch the carpetdirectly but should act only as a means to secure and maintain theposition of an already pulled or stretched carpet section. Finally, sucha device, being engaged when a larger carpet stretcher is removed,should be sufficient in strength to maintain the large amounts of torqueand force from stretched carpet sections for long periods of time,without allowing the carpet to slip.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

There is disclosed and described herein a device used to secure andmaintain a carpet seam between two adjacent sections of carpet, in aregistered substantially static engagement, during a glue-downapplication. The device herein is adapted for engagement to, and holdingadjacent carpet sections in a static position relative to each other,without over pulling or causing an overlap of adjacent sections on theseam.

The device consists of two planar members engaged by a means fortranslation such as a sliding rail allowing both members to slide towardand away from each other. The device has a lever or handle extendingfrom the sliding engagement which acts as a means to translate the twoplanar members upon its sliding engagement. The handle is rotationallyengaged to the first member or the rail engaged thereto of the slidingengagement.

Each planar member of the device has a plurality of pins extendingdownward from the bottom surface of the member. These pins preferablyhave a specific length and angle which are crucial for the optimaloperation of the device. Employing a calculated length to the pins at adetermined angle renders the device substantially incapable of pullingor stretching the carpet further than has already been accomplished by acarpet stretcher being removed. The device thereafter acts only as ameans of securing the two pieces of carpet at the seam and maintainingtheir relative positions to each other until removed.

The two planar members are connected with a sliding engagement allowingthe members to easily slide toward and away from one another. As noted,a handle is rotationally engaged at a pin or axle at one member of thesliding engagement. A cross member is then rotationally engaged at amiddle portion of the handle at a first end. A second end of the crossmember is engaged to the second sliding member in a rotationalengagement. So engaged between the two planar members, the handle actsas a means of translating the two planar members toward each other, andon release, away from each other when the handle is rotated an oppositedirection.

In operation, the device is employed to maintain carpet sections instatic positions relative to each other by placing one planar member onone section of carpet on one side of the seam, and placing the otherplanar member oh the other section of carpet on the opposite side of theseam. The seam is best located in a central portion of a gap formedbetween the two planar members.

Engagement of the two planar members to their respective carpet sectionsis accomplished by imparting force to a top side of the device, oppositethe carpet sections, while concurrently rotating the handle. When thehandle is rotated toward the carpet surface from a substantiallyelevated position to a substantially horizontal position relative to thecarpet, the two planar members translate toward one another. The pinsextending from the lower surface of each planar member, employing boththe translation and the downward force imparted to the device, bite intothe carpet as the planar members move toward each other. Because thepins are of a length and at an angle to cause the carpet to contact thebottom surface of both planar members at or just prior to the finish oftranslation toward each other, they only engage within the body of thecarpet a distance less than or equal to the distance of translation ofthe planar members toward each other. Once in this engaged position, thedevice effectively locks the carpet sections in place relative to eachother, but because they will not over translate, over pulling causingoverlapping of adjacent carpet sections at the seam is prevented. Ameans to maintain the device in the engaged position is provided by thehandle being rotated to an angle wherein it is just past a horizontalposition to the mount of the cross member to the opposite planar member,or slightly over rotated. This over-rotated position combined with thepressure against both planar members by the restrained carpet sectionsimparting pressure force to the handle, provides a means to maintain thedevice locked in the engaged position.

This unique construction therefore provides a device that will allow lowskilled workers to follow higher skilled workers who use the carpetstretchers. This is because the risk of over stretching a carpet sectionand ruining the registered engagement between one or more carpetsections is prevented by the limited movement of the two planar memberstoward each other.

In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of theinvention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is notlimited in its application to the details of the construction and to thearrangement of the components set forth in the following description ofillustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of otherembodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways.Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminologyemployed herein are for the purpose of description and should not beregarded as limiting.

As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conceptionupon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basisfor designing of other methods and systems for carrying out the severalpurposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that theclaims be regarded as including such equivalent construction insofar asthey do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

It is an object of this invention to provide a means to adequatelysecure two adjacent sections of carpet at a seam in a fixed relativeengagement.

It is further an object of this invention to secure a carpet seamwithout causing damage to the underlying floor or proximal surface or tothe carpet sections.

It is further an object of this invention to provide a means to secureadjacent sections of carpet at a seam in a manner which eliminates thepossibility of further stretch or overpull of the carpet sections whichcan cause overlaps or de-registration of registered patterns.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

FIG. 1 depicts a top perspective view of the device in a first ordisengaged position having a larger gap between the two planar members.

FIG. 2 depicts the device from the side as it appears in the disengagedmode of FIG. 1. The pins rest on top of the carpet and the handle is atan elevated angle from the parallel planar members.

FIG. 3 depicts the same side view of another mode of the device whereinthe handle has been rotated to engage the device to the carpet sectionsto a second or engaged position and is held locked in place by the forceof the carpet sections.

FIG. 4 depicts a side view of another mode of the device wherein thepins are engaged to plates which are removably engaged to the planarmembers. Changing the plates to those with different pin lengths allowsfor adjustment of the pin length if needed to accommodate differentcarpets.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the drawings in FIGS. 1-4, wherein similar parts areidentified by like reference numerals, the device 10 as shown in FIGS.1-4 consists of two planar members 12 and 14 each having a top surface13 and 15 respectively, and each having a lower surface 17 and 19respectively. On the lower surfaces 17 and 19 of each of the planarmembers 12 and 14 are located a plurality of pins 26 extending away fromthe lower surfaces. The pins 26 extend at an angle and have a specificlength calculated to engage the carpet 11 but not the underlyingsurface. As shown in FIG. 4, the distance D3 is the horizontal distancecreated by the angled pins 29 from their pointed distal tip 27 to thebase of the pin 29 engaged to the lower surfaces of the planar members12 and 14.

As can be seen in FIGS. 1-3, the planar members 12 and 14 areoperatively engaged for translation relative to each other by a means ofa translating engagement. This means for translation is shown in aparticularly preferred mode of the device as in a two-piece slide with afirst translating member 18 engaged to the first planar member 14 and asecond translating member 20 which is slidably engaged with the firsttranslating member 18 and attached to the other planar member 12. Ahandle 16 is rotationally engaged to the second translating member 20and to a crossbar 24.

At a mid-section of the handle 16 between the rotational engagement 23of the handle 16 to the second translating member 20 and the distal endof the handle 16, the crossbar 24 is rotationally engaged on a hinge pin21 or other means for rotational engagement at one end. The opposite endof the crossbar 24 is in a rotational engagement 23 to the firsttranslating member 18. As shown, the hinge pin 21 is off the center axisof the handle 16 so as to position the hinge pin 21 lower than therotational engagement 23 at the opposite end of the crossbar 24 when itis rotated fully to a position substantially horizontal to the plane ofthe top surface 13 but at a slightly declining angle downward toward thetop surface 13.

As can be seen in FIG. 2 a gap is formed by the distance between theplanar members 12 and 14 and at its widest point is depicted as D1. Inoperation, when the handle 16 is rotated in a direction away from thecrossbar 24 in a circular motion toward the carpet 11, the secondtranslating member 20 is pulled toward the first translating member 18causing the two attached planar members 12 and 14 to translate adetermined short distance toward each other narrowing the gap by thatdistance. As can be seen in FIG. 3, after translation of the two planarmembers 12 and 14, from a first position spaced further apart, to asecond position at their closest proximity, the gap D1 has been narrowedby the translated distance to the smaller distance, D2. The gap definedby D2 is the distance between the planar members 12 and 14 after thehandle 16 has been rotated causing the planar members to translatecloser to each other to the second position.

Means to hold the device locked in the engaged or second position isprovided by the biasing force of the two sections of the carpet 11 a and11 b. This force is communicated to the crossbar 24 which is engaged tothe rotated handle 16. The point of rotatable engagement of the crossbar24 to the handle 16 is slightly below the rotational engagement 23 ofthe crossbar 24 to the planar member 14 when the handle 16 is in therotated position shown in FIG. 3. This causes the crossbar 24 to impartthe biasing force to pull the handle 16 toward the top surface 13 of theplanar member 12 thereby locking the device 10 in the second or engagedposition.

The length and angle of the pins 26 directly affects the distancetranslated by the carpet sections 11 a and 11 b when engaged with thetwo planar members 12 and 14. When the device 10 is placed on the twoseparate pieces of carpet 11 & 11 b, the pins 26 rest on top of thecarpet as can be seen in FIG. 2. When the device is employed, the handle16 is rotated away from the crossbar 24 and pushed toward the ground.The translation of the planar members 12 and 14 caused by the depressionof the handle 16 forces the pins 26 to bite into the carpet 11 material.Due to the angled nature of the pins 26, and their length matching thedistance of travel of the planar members 12 and 14, as the pins 26 slidedown into the carpet 11, they allow translation of one planar membertoward the other planar member but without forcing the carpet sections11 a and 11 b toward each other. Forming the pins 26 to a length toslide at an angle into the carpet 11 while the two planar memberstranslate toward each other, and having the top surface of the carpet 11contacting the bottom of the planar members concurrently with the traveldistance of the two planar members toward each other, substantiallyprohibits the device from forcing the pre-positioned carpet sections 11a and 11 b toward the seam 9 and provides a means to prevent overlappingof the seam 9 between the two carpet sections 11 a and 11 b. This solvesthe previous noted problems of prior art where a mis-adjusted carpetstretcher will mis-align the seam and cause overlapping which can takemuch time to correct.

By limiting the total translation distance of the two planar members 12and 14 as allowed by the handle 16 and using a specific angle and lengthof pins 26, the pins 26 are able to sink into the carpet 11 a distanceequal to the translation of the planar members 12 and 14 themselves. Asthe pins 26 bite into the carpet, they are thus only allowed topenetrate the carpet 11 a distance equal to or less than the translationof the two planar members 12 and 14 towards each other. By limiting theamount of translation by the planar members 12 and 14 and penetration ofthe pins 26, the device 10 is provided a means to prevent over pull oroverlap of the two pieces of carpet 11 a and 11 b as traditionalcommercial carpet pullers are prone to do. Also, since the length of thepins 26 is calculated to never fully penetrate the carpet 11 there is norisk of damaging the underlying floor.

It is envisioned that because of the many types of carpet 11commercially available, pins of different length may be required toaccommodate a thin carpet or thick carpet with the same device 10. Asshown in FIG. 4, the pins 26 may be removably engaged to the planarmembers 12 and 14 to allow for this adjustment. As depicted in a favoredembodiment of FIG. 4, the pins 26 would be engaged to a plate 30. Theplate 30 is then removably engaged to the planar members 12 and 14. Theplates 30 can be provided in a kit featuring a plurality of plates 30,each member of the plurality having different length pins 26 and eachremovably engageable to the planar members 12 and 14 using means forremovable engagement such as a screw (not shown).

Or in a particularly preferred mode of the device 10, the plate 30 canhave two sets of pins 26 thereon in similar angled engagements. Slots 32in the planar members 12 and 14 would be placed to engage the pins 26 ofthe non-used side of the plate 30. By making one set of pins 26 shorterthan the other, the device 10 can change the pin length by flipping theplate 30, thereby allowing workers to accommodate a plurality of carpetthicknesses by simply flipping over the plate 20. The slots, 32 would inthis case be equal to, or slightly longer than the length of the longerof the two sets of pins 26 on the plate 30 to allow the plates 16 toengage the planar members with either set of pins 26.

While all of the fundamental characteristics and features of the carpetsection locking apparatus and method have been described herein, withreference to particular embodiments thereof, a latitude of modification,various changes and substitutions are intended in the foregoingdisclosure and it will be apparent that in some instance, some featuresof the invention will be employed without a corresponding use of otherfeatures without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth.It should be understood that such substitutions, modifications, andvariations may be made by those skilled in the art without departingfrom the spirit or scope of the invention. Consequently, all suchmodifications and variations are included within the scope of theinvention as defined herein.

1. A carpet seam clamping apparatus for holding pre-positioned carpetsections abutted at a seam in position subsequent to removal of a carpetstretcher, comprising: a first planar member having a top surface andbottom surface; a second planar member having a top surface and bottomsurface; means for translational engagement of said first planar memberto said second planar member between a first position and a secondposition; a gap between said first planar member and said second planarmember, said gap reduced by a first distance when said first planarmember and second planar member are translated to said second position;a plurality of pins projecting to distal ends from engagement points onsaid bottom surfaces of said first planar member and said second planarmember, each of said pins having a length between said engagement pointand said distal ends; means to hold said first planar member and saidsecond planar member in said second position; and wherein, said clampingapparatus engages with two pre-positioned carpet sections abutting aseam by translating said first and second planar members to said secondposition thereby causing said pins to pierce said carpet sections forsaid length of said pins during said translation from said firstposition to said second position.
 2. The carpet seam clamping apparatusof claim 1 additionally comprising: said length of said pins being sizedcause a positioning of a top surface of said abutting carpet sectionsagainst said bottom surfaces of said first and second planar members,said positioning occurring concurrent with said first and second planarmembers reaching said second position, whereby said carpet sections areheld abutted by said pins and prevented from an overlapping by saidpositioning being concurrent to reaching said second position.
 3. Thecarpet seam clamping apparatus of claim 1 wherein said means totranslational engagement of said first planar member to said secondplanar member comprises: said top surface of said first planar member,being substantially in the same plane as said top surface of said secondplanar member; a first elongated member engaged to said top surface ofsaid first planar member slidably engaged with a second elongated memberengaged to said top surface of said second planar member; a handle, saidhandle having a first end and a second end, said first end rotatablyengaged at a first rotation point, with one of said first elongatedmember or said second elongated member; a connecting member having afirst end and a second end, said first end of said connecting memberrotationally engaged at a second point, with the other of said firstelongated member or said second elongated member from that of said firstend of said handle; said second end of said connecting member rotatablyengaged at a third point, to a middle portion of said handle in-betweensaid first end and said second end of said handle; and whereby arotation of said handle from a substantially vertical to said plane,away from said connecting member to a rotated position substantiallyhorizontal to said plane, will cause a translation of said first planarmember and said second planar member to said second position.
 4. Thecarpet seam clamping apparatus of claim 2 wherein said means totranslational engagement of said first planar member to said secondplanar member comprises: said top surface of said first planar member,being substantially in the same plane as said top surface of said secondplanar member; a first elongated member engaged to said top surface ofsaid first planar member slidably engaged with a second elongated memberengaged to said top surface of said second planar member; a handle, saidhandle having a first end and a second end, said first end rotatablyengaged at a first rotation point, with one of said first elongatedmember or said second elongated member; a connecting member having afirst end and a second end, said first end of said connecting memberrotationally engaged at a second point, with the other of said firstelongated member or said second elongated member from that of said firstend of said handle; said second end of said connecting member rotatablyengaged at a third point, to a middle portion of said handle in-betweensaid first end and said second end of said handle; and whereby arotation of said handle from a substantially vertical to said plane,away from said connecting member to a rotated position substantiallyhorizontal to said plane, will cause a translation of said first planarmember and said second planar member to said second position.
 5. Thecarpet seam clamping apparatus of claim 3 wherein said means to holdsaid first planar member and said second planar member in said secondposition comprises: said third point positioned closer to said planethan said second point, when said handle is in said rotated position;said carpet sections imparting a biasing force of said first planarmember away from said second planar member when in said second position;and said connecting member communicating said biasing force to saidhandle causing at said third point to thereby bias said handle towardsaid rotated position.
 6. The carpet seam clamping apparatus of claim 4wherein said means to hold said first planar member and said secondplanar member in said second position comprises: said third pointpositioned closer to said plane than said second point, when said handleis in said rotated position; said carpet sections imparting a biasingforce of said first planar member away from said second planar memberwhen in said second position; and said connecting member communicatingsaid biasing force to said handle causing at said third point to therebybias said handle toward said rotated position.
 7. The carpet seamclamping apparatus of claim 3 additionally comprising: said engagementpoints of each of said plurality of pins extending from said first andsecond planar members each being engaged with a respective plate; andeach said respective plate being removably engageable with a respectivesaid bottom surface of said first planar member and staid second planarmember.
 8. The carpet seam clamping apparatus of claim 4 additionallycomprising: said engagement points of each of said plurality of pinsextending from said first and second planar members each being engagedwith a respective plate; and each said respective plate being removablyengageable with a respective said bottom surface of said first planarmember and staid second planar member.
 9. The carpet seam clampingapparatus of claim 5 additionally comprising: said engagement points ofeach of said plurality of pins extending from said first and secondplanar members each being engaged with a respective plate; and each saidrespective plate being removably engageable with a respective saidbottom surface of said first planar member and staid second planarmember.
 10. The carpet seam clamping apparatus of claim 6 additionallycomprising: said engagement points of each of said plurality of pinsextending from said first and second planar members each being engagedwith a respective plate; and each said respective plate being removablyengageable with a respective said bottom surface of said first planarmember and staid second planar member.
 11. The carpet seam clampingapparatus of claim 9 additionally comprising: a kit having a pluralityof pairs of said plates, each said pairs having a said plurality of saidpins having a different said length; said different length accommodatingsaid carpet sections having different thicknesses whereby said lengthsof said plurality of pins extending from said bottom surfaces of saidfirst and second planar member, may be changed by attaching a differentsaid pair of plates to said first and second planar members.
 12. Thecarpet seam clamping apparatus of claim 10 additionally comprising: akit having a plurality of pairs of said plates, each said pairs having asaid plurality of said pins having a different said length; saiddifferent length accommodating said carpet sections having differentthicknesses whereby said lengths of said plurality of pins extendingfrom said bottom surfaces of said first and second planar member, may bechanged by attaching a different said pair of plates to said first andsecond planar members.
 13. The carpet seam clamping apparatus of claim 9additionally comprising: a said plurality of pins extending from each oftwo sides of each said plate; said plurality of pins on a first of saidtwo sides having a said length longer than a said plurality of pinsextending from the other of said two sides of said plate; a plurality ofslots formed in said bottom surface of said first and said second planarmembers; said slots having a length at least as long as said pluralityof pins on said first side of said plate; said slots positioned toengage each of said plurality of pins on both sides of said plate; andwhereby said plates may be engaged to said bottom surfaces of saidplanar members on either of said two sides to thereby change said lengthof said pins extending from said bottom surfaces.
 14. The carpet seamclamping apparatus of claim 10 additionally comprising: a said pluralityof pins extending from each of two sides of each said plate; saidplurality of pins on a first of said two sides having a said lengthlonger than a said plurality of pins extending from the other of saidtwo sides of said plate; a plurality of slots formed in said bottomsurface of said first and said second planar members; said slots havinga length at least as long as said plurality of pins on said first sideof said plate; said slots positioned to engage each of said plurality ofpins on both sides of said plate; and whereby said plates may be engagedto said bottom surfaces of said planar members on either of said twosides to thereby change said length of said pins extending from saidbottom surfaces.